UFC ref Keith Peterson mounted by KO’d fighter

(at 1:28 mark)

At tthe Evolution Fighting Champions show recently Keith Peterson was the ref for Ben Syers vs. Bobby Ascolillo. Ben caught Bobby with a left hook/uppercut in the opening seconds of round one that put Bobby in a daze. Ascolillo’s consciousness was gone, but his instincts remained – he tackled the ref and got the mount.

A fighter himself, Keith kept his composure during that awkward moment and Bobby wa s quickly picked up by ring officials. Afterwards, Keith and I talked about it and Keith told me that it was kind of embarrassing, but that he knew Bobby was out of it, so he just held him until the officials could gain control of the situation.

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Kickboxing as well is not immune to the syndrome, as Dutch kickboxer Ashwin Balrak has a tough time discerning his opponent from the ref. (at the 1:13 mark)